June 18, 2026Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Randomized trial of an education and support intervention to preventreadmission of patients with heart failure
Key result
Formal education and support cuts one-year readmission or death by ~31% versus control.
- RR 0.69
- 95% CI 0.52-0.92
- P=0.01
- n=88
Why the study?
Disease management programs with medical components reduce HF readmissions, but the value of an intervention focused specifically on education and support is not known.
Does a formal education and support intervention reduce readmission or death in patients hospitalized with heart failure?
Population
88 patients hospitalized with HF
Comparison
Formal education and support intervention vs control
Design
Prospective randomized trial
Follow-up
One-year
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
May reduce HF readmission or death; hypothesis-generating and requires larger randomized confirmation before practice change.
Key Points
- The study aimed to assess the impact of a targeted education and support intervention on readmission rates, mortality, and hospital costs in heart failure patients.
- Prospective, randomized trial
- Involved 88 patients (44 intervention, 44 control)
- Followed participants for one year to evaluate readmissions and mortality
- 56.8% of the intervention group experienced readmission or death vs. 81.8% in the control group (relative risk = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.92; p = 0.01)
- Intervention led to a 39% decrease in readmissions (49 in intervention vs. 80 in control group, p = 0.06)
- Intervention group had a significantly lower risk of readmission (hazard ratio = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.96; p = 0.03) and $7,515 less in hospital costs per patient.
Study Design
Type
RCT (n=88)
Structured PICO
Does a formal education and support intervention reduce readmission or death in patients hospitalized with heart failure?
P
Population
88 patients hospitalized with heart failure followed for one year.
I
Intervention
Formal education and support intervention
C
Comparator
Control group
O
Outcome
Composite of readmission or death at one-year follow-upcomposite
Main Result
Relative Risk: 0.69 (95% CI 0.52–0.92)
Absolute Event Rate: 56.8% vs 81.8%
p-value: p=0.01
A targeted education and support intervention significantly reduces the composite of readmission or death and lowers hospital costs in patients hospitalized with heart failure.
Cite This Study
Krumholz et al. (2002) conducted an RCT in Heart failure (n=88). Formal education and support intervention vs. Control was evaluated on Readmission or death (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.92, p=0.01). A formal education and support intervention reduced the one-year rate of readmission or death compared to control (56.8% vs 81.8%; RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.92; p=0.01).